1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display control apparatus, and more particularly, to a display control apparatus provided in a digital camera, a digital video camera, a mobile phone and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a video signal recording apparatus having a display apparatus provided with an image pickup apparatus for shooting a subject and a recording apparatus for recording a video of the shot subject has spread. This video signal recording apparatus has a recording mode for recording a video signal obtained by shooting the subject in a recording medium, and a playing mode for playing the video signal from the recording medium in which the video signal has been recorded. Moreover, this video signal recording apparatus has a function for displaying a recording mode display mode, an on-screen display mode, an unrecorded display mode and the like on the display apparatus with characters or icons (designs) for the respective modes, to inform a shooter about an operating status at that time and the like, with various characters or icons in the above described respective modes.
For example, in the recording mode, various camera settings such as a shooting mode such as a portrait setting, a shot image size, an image compression ratio, a white balance and the like, a remaining battery level, a remaining amount of a medium, date and time and the like are displayed with the characters or the icons. Moreover, in the playing mode, the remaining amount of the medium, the remaining battery level, the date and time and the like are mainly displayed with the characters or the icons to inform the shooter about the operating status at that time and the like.
With respect to these display apparatuses, various techniques have been proposed, such as a technique for performing the display for a while when a power is turned on, or a technique for performing the display for a while when the power is turned off (for example, see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-176248 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,493)).
Furthermore, there is also a case where on/off of the display of the above described various setting information can be switched, the respective settings have been retained in the recording mode and in the playing mode, and display contents are different between the recording mode and the playing mode. For example, when the date and time information or the display of the remaining amount of the recording medium is turned off in the recording mode, the date and time or the display of the remaining amount of the medium does not appear, even if the mode is switched to the playing mode. This is a case where, for example, a user feels that the various marks or characters displayed on the display apparatus during the shooting are cumbersome and changes display settings.
However, in the above described conventional video signal recording apparatus, when the user has forgotten the displayed contents due to repetitive mode switching or over time, the display settings are required to be reset for displaying the contents again.
Moreover, since there are two display settings, that is, the display setting in the recording mode and the display setting in the playing mode, the user may not know which display setting is on.
Furthermore, with respect to the display performed for a few seconds when the mode is switched, the contents displayed in the mode after the switching are not required to be displayed when the power is turned on and the like. However, when the power is turned off and the like, once the contents have been set not to be displayed, the user cannot know an item as a rough indication of necessary refill or replacement when the power is turned off, such as the remaining amount of the medium or the remaining battery level.